In a recent UK House of Commons debate, AFC Wimbledon fan and Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh called on her colleagues to support the ‘Drop the Dons’ campaign. A movement set up in the local community of Merton with the aim of forcing Milton Keynes Dons to severe their last remaining link with Wimbledon FC.
While some have criticised the MP’s decision to argue the case in parliament, recent events are manoeuvring this emotive topic to the forefront of football fans’ minds, not least AFC Wimbledon’s promotion to England’s League Two.
It is only a matter of time before the two sides face each other on the pitch, either in the league or in a cup competition, and while that will make for a mouth-watering fixture for neutrals, it will likely be a bitter battle for both clubs’ fans.
When Wimbledon were sold to new owners they were relocated to Milton Keynes, in 2003, a move which was seen as a betrayal of the club’s supporters and the creation of a ‘franchise’ team, sparking fears that football may soon see the soulless moving of teams from one area to another, similar to that which occurs in major sports in the United States.
Outraged, a group of Wimbledon fans broke away and set up their own club, AFC Wimbledon, a team owned by its fans, on the fields of Wimbledon Common in 2002 and following a meteoric rise through non-league, the side secured promotion to the Football League last season.
While ill-feeling still runs deep, both teams can be proud of their accomplishments and are going great guns in their respective divisions. Manager Karl Robinson has MK pushing for promotion in League One and AFC Wimbledon are sitting comfortably in mid-table in League Two, just three wins off the playoffs.
The ‘Drop the Dons’ campaign says that by dropping the Dons from MK’s name it will prove that the club is sensitive to the recent past and will show that they are willing to build bridges with AFC Wimbledon and its supporters.
But the MK Dons Supporters Trust has already extended the olive branch, albeit indirectly, when they signed over all associated history and cup wins to the London Borough of Merton in order to gain membership to the Football Supporters’ Federation, this was then transferred to AFC.
Regardless of whether the campaign is a success, MK should no longer feel like the awkward relation of Wimbledon. Since moving to Milton Keynes, they have begun creating a name and history of their own. While attendances may be low, they play at an impressive 22,000-seater stadium and have an emerging squad led by a talented young manager.
Should MK gain promotion to the Championship, the club may well drop the Dons from their name for their own interests and not simply to change AFC’s opinion of them.
Promotion would create an ideal platform for the club to cast off the past and reinvent themselves and, much like Brighton’s move to a new stadium, herald a new era creating a catalyst to help them push on for promotion to the Premier League.
For AFC Wimbledon, the dropping of the Dons from the MK name would mean closure for the club and its fans, marking the end of a long and emotional rollercoaster ride. It would allow the London outfit to get on with the serious task of trying to emulate the old ‘Crazy Gang’ who rose through the leagues much as the new Wimbledon did through non-league.
